August 3, 2006 – Danwei Noon Report, a daily roundup of new and old media coverage about China, from Chinese and English sources
• Netease reports that CCTV is negotiating to buy a major stake in of Hong Kong free-to-air TV station TVB. Hong Kong’s Standard newspaper also has a report (in English): CCTV eyeing stake in TVB. CCTV and TVB already have a long history together — see this 2001 press release for more information.
• A debate has broken out on Tianya, one of China’s most popular Internet forums, about the historian Yi Zhongtian (易中天), author of bestselling history books such as Yi Zhongtian Evaluates Han Dynasty Figures. Yi was featured on the cover of last week’s Sanlian Life Week magazine. Some netizens fiercely object. On Tianya, Shanghai University Chinese language professor Ge Hongbing is arguing that Yi’s books are not so much popular or aimed at the masses, but merely unsophisticated and of low quality. Others have rushed to Yi’s defence.
• Sina reports that Prapiroon, the sixth typhoon of the summer will hit Guangdong Province this afternoon.
• The China Daily reports that a Beijing man was tested positive for pregnancy at Beijing Haidian Hospital. He was not amused.
• Where can I get some of the pills the editors at the People’s Daily are popping? Yesterday, they published a story with the following opening sentence:
The skies of Beijing may have been dark with rain, but this didn’t stop the capital city scoring an 8-year record of 29 “blue sky” days in July.
UPDATE: Charlie in the comments points out:
It is ridiculous that technically a rainy day is a ‘blue sky’ day, but it is more to do with level of pollutants in the air than the actual colour of the sky…. ‘clean air’ day would have been a more accurate, but less catchy, term.
• From The Financial Times:
China to build coal to liquid fuel plant
The world’s biggest plant to produce liquid fuel from coal is to be built in China with a loan from the International Finance Corporation.
The fuel produced will be used as a diesel replacement for use in transportation, and as a domestic cooking and heating fuel.
• Beijing-based blogger Imagethief dissects a People’s Daily article about foreigners who have been influential in China’s modern history: Fifty fabulous foreigners and one scheming Jew